Radio Signal
by JayPun
Summary: Austin was kidnapped a year ago. No one knew where or why he was taken but he was never found. Now, after being presumed dead, the world slowly begins to learn of his story and they will all suffer major repercussions for what has happened. This is Austin's tragic tale of a kidnapping gone very very wrong.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally.

Warning: This story contains dark themes.

* * *

Radio Signal

Prologue

It had been a year. A long, agonizing year. They had been worn down to nothing, sorrow and defeat eating their bones. They were left to wait and wonder, hoping that something would change. Their whole world had been flipped upside down and the entire country had been shocked to its core.

One year ago, Austin Monica Moon had disappeared. It was completely out of the blue. There was no warning. Once his parents had reported him missing, the police adamantly waited for a ransom, a threat, anything. They had found signs of struggle. He had tried to fight off who ever attacked him. He was alone at home, his parents hadn't returned from work yet. Someone had broken in and taken him. Who ever that person was, they never demanded a ransom. They never stole any valuables. They never contacted anyone. It was like Austin and his abductor had vanished into thin air, never to be seen again.

There was a search, of course there was a search. Austin was famous. Everyone looked for him, missing posters were plastered everywhere. Ally, Dez, and Trish were all emotionally wrecked, shocked by the whole ordeal. His parents always cried, begging anyone who would listen if they had seen their son. Every lead ran cold and the search was eventually called off. It lasted much longer than a usual police search, simply because of the fact that Austin was famous and seemingly the entire world was demanding that he be found. So the search had been stretched out by time and by state. Even other countries searched for him.

That was a year ago. They were forced to accept it now. Austin was gone, his kidnapper never brought to justice. He was labeled as missing for the longest time, no one ready to accept otherwise. The ordeal had worn everyone down and was proving to be a lost cause.

Austin was kidnapped a year ago and now, on the anniversary of his disappearance, he was finally presumed dead.

The mortuary was full of weeping people who had all come for Austin's funeral. Ally cringed at the word. Was it really a funeral? She didn't see it as one. It was just closure. A day where they finally say goodbye and move on. She didn't feel that way. How was this moving on? They were burying an empty casket, marking a grave for someone who might not actually be dead. This wasn't really for Austin, it was for everyone else. It was so _they_ could move on.

He could still be out there and now, no one was looking for him. They all thought he was dead. Ally felt empty. She felt no closure. She had lost her best friend and now had to try and accept the fact that she would never see him again. But there was still a chance, wasn't there? No one really knew if he was actually dead. Though there was that chance, she had long since stopped voicing it. People had lost hope a while ago. They had gotten it into their heads that he was never coming back and that was it. No more discussion.

Ally stood up from her seat and walked over to the black casket. A picture of his smiling face stared at her. With lost, sad eyes, she placed a red rose in front of the picture, her rose joining many others. With a half-lidded gaze, she looked down at the casket, knowing it held no body. She could hear the priest giving a speech about how her best friend was in a better place. She inwardly scoffed. Was he really? That man, preaching about how Austin was somewhere better, but he didn't even know if he was actually dead. Austin could still be alive somewhere, suffering, begging for help.

That thought was killing her. How could she accept this? How could she move on without knowing if he was okay? He could be alive right now, in pain. He could be hurt. No one knew if his kidnapper had injured him. He could have been beaten. He could be screaming her name, but she would never know. Guilt overwhelmed her as hot tears began to roll down her face. How could she? How could she give up on him. It wasn't fair.

Her body wracked with sobs as she stood over the empty casket covered in beautiful flowers. Her cries grew louder. Trish ran up to her, attempting to calm her. She shushed her, tried to tell her it was alright. Her words weren't very believable. How could they be? She didn't even believe them herself. Trish clung onto her friend as Ally dropped to her knees. She was sobbing loudly, her wails echoing throughout the room.

No one told her to move and no one tried to stop her. The priest stood at the podium, silent. Dez joined them on the floor. They held each other, crying. The room was silent. Her cries seemed to become a prayer. Everyone bowed their heads and wept with the broken girl.

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There's the prologue. Tell me what you thought.


	2. Chapter 1: Hear Me

Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.

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Radio Signal

Chapter 1: Hear Me

It was a bright, Saturday morning and Sonic Boom was packed with people. Ally scrambled around the counter, helping random customers. Trish stood by and watched Dez do her homework. Austin helped Ally with the customers. The poor girl was being overwhelmed by the amount of people in the store. There was a constant buzz of noise going on in the store.

"This place is really busy, today and it isn't even noon yet." Trish commented.

"I know," Ally huffed in exhaustion. "I'm thankful for the business but I'm about to kill over. Austin and I were up all night last night working on a new song, too. Thanks again for staying and helping, Austin."

"No problem. I couldn't have you suffer alone." He said as he helped another customer. He grinned at her. Ally could tell he was just as exhausted as she was, yet he stayed and helped her. She thankfully returned his smile.

A woman walked up the counter. She looked angry and began to shout at her in some other language. Ally's eyes widened in confusion. "I'm sorry?" She said as kindly as she could.

" Où est sont violoncelles? J'ai déjà demandé à la fille latino cinq fois. Je perds ma patience." She hissed.

"Um, I'm sorry miss but I don't know what you're saying." Ally said warily.

"VOUS appeler ce service? Ive a eu MIEUX PERMANENT DE SERVICE EN LIGNE À un parc à thème! Je veux savoir où les violoncelles SONT!" The woman screamed.

Ally stared at her in shock. "I-I um. I don't know what you want. I'm sorry, miss." She stuttered as she began to panic.

"Vous êtes sourd? Les violoncelles!"

Ally let out a scared squeak and started to shake. "Please, if you could calm down, maybe I can help you in some way-"

The woman cut her off. "Vous fille inutile. Quel est un imbécile comme vous faire travailler dans un magasin de musique? " She hissed.

Austin suddenly pushed himself in between Ally and the angry woman. " Wait, What did you say? Violoncelles?" He asked.

The woman's eyes lit up. "Oui! Où sont-ils?"

Recognition seemed to wash over Austin's face. It almost looked like he knew what she was saying. He walked out from behind the counter and led the woman to the section of the store with cellos. "These?"

The woman didn't respond, but instead grabbed a cello and happily made her way back to the counter. Ally easily checked her out without a word. She gave Ally a disgusted look but grinned at Austin. "Il ya au moins une personne compétente dans ce magasin." The woman quipped.

Ally eyed Austin in extreme confusion when he angrily glared at the woman, offended by whatever she just said. He only stopped glaring at the woman when she left the store.

Ally, Trish, and Dez stared at him confusion. "Austin?" Ally started. "Could you understand what she was saying?"

Austin turned his gaze to her, his eyebrows furrowed. "I- I think so. Well, a little bit. The more she talked, the easier it was to understand her."

"What language was that?" Dez asked.

Austin shrugged. " I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You could understand her!" Trish argued.

Austin shrugged again. "I don't know, okay. I just somehow knew what she was saying." Austin defended himself.

"Wait, haven't you done that before" Dez suddenly asked.

"Done what?" Austin questioned in confusion.

"You know? Being able to understand a language out the blue like that?" Dez said like it was obvious.

Austin's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "No."

"Oh come on! You did it when we were at the beach that one time. A guy walked up to you and asked you something in Spanish. You knew what he was saying and answered him in English. Luckily, that guy knew what you were saying."

"Wait, you mean that really tall Puerto Rican guy with the bright orange swim trunks that had a really bad sunburn?" Austin asked.

"Yeah, him."

"He was speaking English, Dez."

"No he wasn't. It was definitely Spanish."

"I swear it was English."

"No, it wasn't!" Dez insisted.

"Yes it was."

Then why couldn't I understand him?" Dez asked.

"I can answer that question." Trish spoke up.

"Trish, don't you dare!" Ally said, shooting her down.

"Whatever," Austin said as he shook his head,dismissing the subject. "It's seems to be less busy in here now. Ally do you care if I go home?"

"Go right ahead." Ally said.

"Thank you," Austin said happily. "I'm going to sleep so hard when I get home."

"Won't your parents yell at you for sleeping during the day?" Trish asked.

"They're at work and they won't get home until later tonight. So I don't have to worry about them." Austin said as he did a small victory dance.

"Alright, well you tomorrow." Ally said.

Austin waved to them as he left the store. "Bye guys."

* * *

Austin pulled his car into the driveway and got out, humming to himself as he did so. He was tired but he was content. He practically skipped to the front door his house. He went to unlock the door when he noticed something; the door was open. It was barely open, just a crack, but open nonetheless. Austin raised an eyebrow in confusion. That's weird. His parents always made sure to shut and lock up the house when they left the house.

He pocketed his keys and carefully walked into the house, shutting the door behind him. He half expected one of his parents to be home, maybe having come back for lunch. But the driveway was void of cars expect his own. He look in the garage, thinking that for some reason his parents pulled the car in there. He found the garage empty. He let out a confused huff and shut the garage door.

Who knows? Maybe they didn't check it like they usually did. People do that sometimes. He never knew his parents to do it but he really shouldn't feel all that surprised if they ever did. That must have what happened because he was the only one in the house.

He walked to the kitchen and got himself a glass of water. As he went to take a drink, he noticed something else. There was a drawer open. It was sitting wide open. He took a drink and walked over to it. It was the drawer where his parents kept all the glue, batteries, and duck tape. They must have been out of duck tape because he didn't see any in the drawer. Maybe that's what his parents were looking for and they just forgot to shut the drawer.

Austin gently pushed his hand against the drawer and let it roll back in place. He put the glass down on the counter and looked around the kitchen, curious to see if anything was out of place. Everything else seemed to be untouched. He moved the glass to the sink and left the kitchen.

A sudden "thwak" sound caused him to jump. He spun around on his heel and around to find the source of the noise. Nothing seemed to move "What the?...Oh." He said as he looked down, finding his phone on the floor. He picked it up and checked to make sure it didn't break. He sighed in relief when he found that it survived, unscratched.

"Hmph!" His phone went sailing into the air. This time, it shattered into pieces when it hit the kitchen tile. Someone's black sleeved arm grabbed him from behind. It held onto his upper torso, trapping his arms against his sides. A black gloved hand was over his mouth. He immediately attempt to break free, struggling against his assailant's grip. The person's grasp only tightened, squeezing to the point that it made Austin cringe in pain.

He let out muffled yelps, trying to yell at the person to get off of him. He fought harder, kicking his feet. The assailant swung him around a bit, dragging him closer to the back door. He kicked out, accidentally knocking a lamp off of the side-table. It shattered when it hit the ground. Panic ran through him as he fought to free himself. The person's grip tightened even more.

"Hey, get him under control!" A man dressed in all black suddenly appeared from the hallway. He had a roll of duck tape and some rope in his hand.

"I'm trying," A deep voice from the person behind him said. "This kid is strong. Help me."

Austin's eyes widened in fear. These men were trying to take him. He kicked wildly and threw his body around as much as could in the man's grip, the whole time screaming through the gloved hand over his mouth. He hoped someone heard him as he screamed his vocal cords raw.

"Get his legs!" One of the men yelled.

Austin didn't bother to pay attention to know who had said it. He was too focused on trying to break free. He couldn't breathe right. He was too scared and the man was blocking his airway.

The other man grabbed at his legs, ducking when Austin tried to kick him. It took a while, but he finally got both of Austin's legs. The blonde went crazy when the man started to tape his legs together.

"He's being too loud. We need to knock him out." The man holding him said.

"Do you have the chloroform?" The other man asked.

"My back pocket."

Austin stared wide eyed in absolute horror when he saw the needle. He thrashed violently against the man holding him. His heart racked against his chest as he panicked. He continued to scream in terror, begging the world that someone would hear him. He struggled to get a full breath to no avail.

"Keep him still!"

"I'm trying."

Austin's muffled yelp of pain filled the room as the man's grip tightened to the point of nearly crushing him. He could feel the man's bulging muscles holding him in place. He was having trouble breathing between the panic and the man's glove. The needle went in and out of his arm before he had a chance to react. He knew what was coming, which meant that he needed to get away from the two men as fast as possible.

"Hurry! Tie his hands."

He felt the other man grab his hands, working around the man that was holding him. He felt the rope come around his wrists. He tried to fight it, but the effects of the chloroform was beginning to cloud his mind. It didn't take long for the man to get the rope tied securely around his wrists. They could tell that the drug was starting to take effect.

The man that was holding him let him go and carefully laid him on the floor. Why were they being so gentle with him? He felt a piece of duct tape be place on his lips. He was too weak to fight them off now.

"Let's go." One of the men threw him over their shoulder. They ran out the back door and ran into the ally behind his backyard. A car was idling there, waiting for them. Austin fought to stay awake, trying to figure out what as happening. He was scared of what might happen if he fell asleep. The man holding him put him in the trunk and blindfolded him. Austin was weak, couldn't move, couldn't speak, and couldn't see. He was completely at their mercy.

The last thing he could remember was the sound of the trunk slamming shut and the slapping sound of a high five, the two men congratulating themselves on a job well done.

* * *

And so we begin the story of Austin's kidnapping. Most of this will be in Austin's POV but it'll occasionally go to Ally. I hope you guys enjoyed.


	3. Chapter 2: Lost At Sea

Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.

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Radio Signal

Chapter 2: Lost At Sea

He felt sick to his stomach; he wanted to hurl. Everything was pitch black when he finally came to. It felt like he was moving; he swore he could hear a car motor but he wasn't sure. His mind was still lost in a haze of confusion and his queasy stomach wouldn't let him think about something for more than a few moments. He couldn't move. He tried to move his arms but they refused to leave their position behind his back. He was incredibly uncomfortable and he couldn't move to a more comfortable position.

Where was he? What happened? He tried to remember but his mind was just too scrambled, his stomach too uneasy. He groaned and took notice of the way his voice came out muffled. He tried to move his mouth and found that he couldn't. Suddenly, the small place he was crammed in was thrust upward. Austin's head slammed into the top with a painful "thump". Pain erupted in his skull. Now he _really_ felt sick. He let out a muffled moan of pain.

His right side was suddenly jerked forward by an unseen force. He could have sworn he heard the sound of car brakes. He was no longer moving. He could hear something slamming shut followed by muffled voices. He tried to move around in the crammed area. He didn't like the feeling he was getting. Something was seriously wrong.

He heard a door very close to him open. "Hey, the brat woke up." He heard a deep, male voice say. He could have sworn he recognized it.

"Not completely, though. He still looks pretty out of it."

Were they talking about him? He couldn't be sure. A familiar scent invaded his nostrils. Salt, and lots of it. He could here it now, water. It was loud yet calm at the same time. They must be very close to the ocean.

"Pull the kid out and get him ready. I don't want him getting sick on the boat when it docks."

"Sure thing." A pair of arms grabbed at him. He wasn't prepared for it, making his fight just a slight jerk in protest. He was carried out of what ever he was in and placed on what felt like a wooden ground. The blindfold was ripped off and so was the duck tape over his mouth.

Austin took in his surroundings in a haze. He saw ocean and boats. They were at a private ship dock. There were quite a few people there but he and his captors were separated from the rest.

"Untie him, I don't want to draw any unwanted attention." With that, his wrists were freed and his legs no longer duck taped. He moved to get up but felt a wave of nausea hit him. He was throwing up his stomach contents before he even realized what was happening. The half digested mess went over the dock and into the ocean.

"Whoa, the chloroform really did a number on ya, didn't it kid?" One of the men joked. Austin didn't react to his taunting. He didn't react to the fact that they were in normal civilian clothing, masks no longer hiding their faces. He knew that meant something, but he wasn't sure exactly what at that moment. He just stayed on the ground, hunched over the edge of the dock, waiting for another wave of nausea to hit.

He was lost in a complete haze. He still had no clue what was going on. All he knew was that he felt like he had been hit by a train and that he was somewhere where he shouldn't be. He knew he shouldn't trust the men, but at that moment, he paid them no mind. A fatal mistake on his part.

The men ignored him for a while and chatted amongst themselves as they waited. What for? Austin wasn't sure. " So what's the plan from here?" One of them asked.

"Hershel is going to meet us here with the motor boat. We're going to fuel up and then haul the kid out to Nassau and transfer him to the cruise ship waiting for us there. Then the brat becomes the Colonel's problem."

"Which cruiser, the leviathan?"

"That's the one. It's that stupid cruiser turned mercenary ship."

Austin caught sight of a motor boat making its way toward them in his haze of confusion. It was a good sized boat but it wasn't anything impressive. It was red and white and had the title: Joan on the side. He felt himself being lifted up an dragged to the boat as it docked. He let himself get pulled around, still too nauseous to think of anything else

"Come on! We gotta go!" The man driving the boat, Hershel, yelled at them.

"We're coming!" The man dragging him yelled back. The man picked him up and handed him to Hershel. He was put on the floor as the other men climbed in.

"I'm going to refuel. While I do that, you get that kid tied back up. We don't want him getting any ideas on our way to Nassau." The motorboat driver huffed out. He didn't seem to be happy to be there.

In a haze, Austin watched the man climb out, paying no mind to the men tying him up until his wrists were tied a little too tight. He cringed in pain as the rope dug into his skin. The men laughed, one of them smacked him on the cheek as they finished their work, finding humor in his pain.

Austin must have dozed off, because next thing he knew, the boat was being fired up again and they were pulling out of the dock. He tried to watch over the boat's side as the treeline began to shrink away. He should have been panicking, throwing a fit, doing something; but he didn't move. He didn't react. The drug in his system left him too calm, too relaxed. He watched in fascination not horror. That was something that would quickly come back to bite him in the ass.

He felt the driver's eyes linger toward him. "That's a good looking kid. What're you going to with him?" He asked. Austin wasn't sure why, but the man's tone and that smile he wore made his heart clench.

"That's classified, buddy. You just do what you're paid to do and don't ask questions." One the other men said.

Austin was getting sick of not knowing the other men's names. It starting to hurt his brain trying to differentiate them. He heard Hershel snicker.

"What? I don't get any bonus, hauling your asses out across the ocean with some pretty boy brat? I could easily rat your sorry asses out cause that's definitely not your kid." He chuckled out.

"You want something else added to your salary, put it up with the Colonel when we get to Nassau. Until then, keep your hands off the boy." One of the men hissed.

Austin wasn't liking this conversation. It was making him incredibly uneasy. A mist of salt water hit him in the face, dampening his white v-neck. The haze seemed to clear a little, the water waking him up just slightly. Another mist hit as the boat skidded across the ocean waves. Water dotted his dark jeans and the back of his head was hit with warm salt water. His hair clung to his neck; the smell of salt overwhelmed his nostrils. He felt another wave of nausea hit.

"Aw! Gross!" One of the men shouted as Austin threw up on the boat's floor. Not very much came out. Seeing as he already threw up most of his stomach contents at the docks.

"S-sorry." He croaked out. He didn't know why he said it. It hurt his throat to. But he said it anyway. The men barley seemed to hear his raspy apology. They were too busy shouting at each other to clean the mess up.

"You get that crap off my boat, right now!" The driver shouted angrily.

"It's your boat, you clean it!" One of the men argued.

"I'm driving you dumb ass and that kid is your problem. You brought him on here."

"Make the kid clean it!'

"Does he look coherent enough to do anything? Do your job and take care of this mess!"

Austin stared out over the boat's side and stared at the ocean. He couldn't help but think about how beautiful it was. Another mist hit him. The fog in his head was starting to clear. Both from time and from the water. He began to realize the seriousness of the situation he was in. He was on a motorboat, out in the ocean, miles from his home and his family. The men took him without warning. He was starting to understand now. He was now one of those statistics. One of those faces that you never wanted to be on the evening news. He was being kidnapped. No, he had already been kidnapped. Now his captors were taking him further away from home. Austin was starting to fear the reason behind their motives. From what they were saying, it sounded as if these men were paid to kidnap him. But why and who paid them?

The mess had been cleaned as Austin lost himself in his thoughts. He was in deep trouble and he had no way to escape his captors. The land was just a dark sliver on the horizon now. He felt wide awake now but full of despair. The panic was starting to set in. Somewhere on the dark sliver was his home and he was being taken away from it.

His thoughts went to his parents; to his friends. Did they know yet? How long had has it been since he had been taken? He needed to get back to them. He wanted to go home. But how? He was on a motorboat in the ocean, speeding away from civilization. Where did they say they were taking him? Someplace called Nassau. That name rang no bells. He was always terrible at geography. Now he felt incredibly stupid for not understanding it. Tears stung his eyes. All he could now was sit and wait. Then, when they reached Nassau, he would try to escape his kidnappers.

* * *

It felt like an eternity when he finally saw another set of land again. But in reality, it had only been a couple hours. They passed that piece of land and headed toward another one that was much smaller. They were islands and he could still clearly see the larger island close to the one they were heading to.

The smaller island must have been Nassau but what was the other island? He hadn't a clue.

"Hey, you guys wanna head to the Bahamas after we hand this kid over?" The driver asked.

"Can't, Colonel wants us heading recon out in the Black Sea. We gotta head there right after we give him pretty boy." One of the other men answered.

Hershel huffed in annoyance. "Don't you two know how to have any fun? Work and no play. You wont even have a little taste of the kid. Man, I'd love me a slice of that."

Austin cringed in disgust. Now that the drugs had almost completely worn off, he understood what the man was hinting at. He was glad the two men wouldn't let the driver touch him. He'd definitely lose it if the freak tried something.

"Just shut up and drive." One of the men hissed.

"Alright, don't get your panties in a twist. Which dock did you say it was?"

"British Colonial Hilton. You'll see the ship as we get closer. It'll be the smaller one with the dark blue hull."

Austin gaped in awe as they got closer to the dock. It was nothing like the first one. Massive cruise ships were docked in rows, towering over the little motorboat. There was a smaller cruise liner. It about half the size of the others. It was still a very beautiful , jaw-dropping ship. He could tell it was the ship they were talking about. Its hull was a dark blue and the name: Leviathan was painted on its side. He needed to get free and he needed to do it now.

He pulled at his bindings, trying to pry himself free. They refused to give. He growled in frustration. He thrashed harder, ignoring the flurry of pain erupting from his wrists as he rubbed them raw against the rope. It didn't break. It didn't even fray.

"Hey, get that kid under control. I want him drawing attention to us." The driver snapped. The other men grabbed at him and tightened his binds. Austin could feel blood seeping from his wrists. He thrashed at them, kicking one of them in the shin. He yelped in pain. Austin glared at his captor with hatred.

"Knock it off or we'll drug your ass again." The man he kicked threatened angrily. Austin continued to glare but ceased his thrashing. He eyed the men warily, ready to defend himself if need be.

"There's the ship. Let's just drop the kid off and be done with this."

"Duck tape his mouth again. We don't wanthim screaming and alerting everyone within a 5 mile radius."

They had to hold him down in order to get the tape on. Austin wasn't going to take this sitting down now that he was coherent enough to know what was going on. He got a few good hits in before they were able to get the tape in place, but he still lost.

The driver parked the boat at the docks and killed the engine. The Leviathan stood next to them. A group of men walked off the gangway connecting the Leviathan and the dock. They were all dressed in black skin-tight t-shirts, cargo pants, and black combat boots. They screamed military men. Austin stared wide eyed in confusion at the men. Why would the military want him?

Austin watched in wary silence from the floor of the motorboat as the men approached his captors. They saluted each other and began to speak. "Did you get him?" One of the military men asked.

One of his captors nodded. "Without incident, sir."

"Did anyone see you?"

"No, sir."

"Good, let's have a look at him shall we?" They all turned to Austin, who glared at them with a burning hatred.

One of the military men grinned at the sight of him. "Kid's got some fire." He quipped.

"Hell, yeah he does. I suggest drugging him, though. He'll fight your men tooth and nail."

"I'll go get the Colonel, he'll put the kid in his place _real_ fast."

"He's a good looking kid." One of the other military men said. Austin tried not to shiver under their intense gazes and he tried not to think about how his soaked white shirt clung to his frame. His head perked up when another man walked over to the boat. He was older than the other men, maybe mid 40's. His hair was cut in a standard military buzz cut and his whole body was an endless bulge of muscle. He had an air of confidence and he reeked of Alpha male dominance. He was rather handsome for his age and he seemed to be aware of it. Austin hated him the second he laid his eyes on him.

"Colonel!" One of the military men said to the older man. "They got the kid."

The Colonel's eyes shifted to Austin. He grinned at the sight of the glaring blonde. "Ah, so that's him. He's quite a looker but he doesn't seem like the smart type. I hope the Secretary of Defense was right about the kid."

Austin raised an eyebrow in confusion. What? Was this guy saying that the government had to do with his kidnapping? No, that was insane. Why would they do such a thing. The U.S. government would never do something so defiling. The Colonel was just toying with him.

"Get him out of that boat and onto the ship. I want to set sail as soon as possible." The Colonel ordered. The military men obeyed immediately. Four of them grabbed at him and pulled him out of the boat. One of them slung him over his shoulder and began carrying him toward the gangway. Austin started screaming against the tape and thrashed in the man's grip. He kicked at the man's back and muffled curses at him. His struggling seemed to do nothing to the man carrying him. He watched in horror as the motorboat with the three men sped away, leaving him with his new set of captors on a much larger ship. He screamed as hard he could with the tape on his hoping, praying that someone would hear him. See him, anything.

He was suddenly dropped onto the deck. His side hit hard against the wood. He moaned in pain as he lay on the ground. His bindings were suddenly cut and the men pulled him back to his feet. Two men held him on each arm, leaving no chance of escape, though he fought them anyway. The Colonel was standing in front of him, grinning. The man ripped the tape off in one quick motion. Austin screamed in pain as it pulled at his skin.

"Let me go!" He screamed at the man as he attempted to free himself from the two men's grip. They were both incredibly strong, though, making his efforts almost pointless.

"Whoa there pop star, no need to get all bent out of shape." The Colonel chuckled. "We're all friends here."

Austin stared daggers at the older man. "What the hell do you want from me?" He tried to ignore the way his voice wavered as he spoke, his fear and panic breaking through. His heart beat against his chest.

"Want from you? Boy, I don't want anything from you. I'm just doing the job I was paid to do." The Colonel chuckled.

Austin ceased his struggling and blinked in confusion. "P-paid?"

The Colonel got right in his face. "Oh yes. I don't know why, but the U.S. government wanted you in their possession. Don't consider this as a kidnapping, consider it as a draft."

His mind was reeling in shock. This couldn't be happening. This had to all be a dream or a sick prank. There was just no way in hell that the U.S. government had instigated his kidnapping.

"Son, do you know what we are?"

Austin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at the sudden question, wondering why the large man as asking him. "Military men, I don't know. Navy?" All the surrounding men laughed whole heartily at Austin's answer. The blonde shrunk in humiliation, his cheeks flushing red.

"Navy? I'm afraid you're wrong there, pop star." The Colonel said, still laughing. "We're not part of any military branch. We're American mercenaries, hired by the U.S. to kidnap you."

Austin thrashed at the men holding him again. "WHY?" He screamed. "Why do they want me? What can I possibly do that can help them?" He had to have gone insane. This had to be a hallucination. There was just no way this was real. His heart hammered against his chest. He was scared out of his mind. All he wanted to do, was go home.

He flinch when the Colonel grabbed him by the jaw. He was barley able to hold back the yelp that threatened to escape his lips when the man's grip tightened painfully on his jaw bone. "That's what we're going to find out." The man hissed with a crazy grin. "Take him to my quarters. I'll deal with him by myself."

"Yes Sir!" The two men said in unison. They immediately started to drag him off.

Austin fought with them, not wanting to be taken anywhere else on the ship. "Hey, hold on minute!" He yelled in panic at the Colonel, who was just starting to walk away. "What the hell is wrong with you people? You can't do this! All of you will get put behind bars for this!" He yelled as he struggled against the men's grip. "Let me go!"

The Colonel marched back over to the struggling boy. In a quick, fluent motion, he struck Austin hard across the face. The sound resounded on the ship's deck as Austin''s head whipped back from the force of the blow. He yelped in pain. "It would be wise to watch what you say to your elders, you disrespectful brat!" The Colonel hissed.

Austin stared wide eyed at the floor. His head was reeling from what just happened. He watched droplets of his own blood splatter on the ship's clean deck. He could taste copper in his mouth and his bottom lip stung terribly. He must have bit it. Still in shock, he looked up at the man who just hit him through his mess of blonde hair. He heaved for air and his heart beat rapidly. Panic and fear tore at his very being. The Colonel was glaring down at him; his eyes full of raw anger.

"Go!" He snapped. "Get this worthless whore out of my sight!"

This time, he didn't fight. Austin let himself be drug away from the angry man. He didn't pay attention to where they were taking him. He didn't even pay mind to the way his blood started to stain his white shirt red. Austin was terrified of now. His mind was a jumbled sea of confusion. Why was this happening to him? What did they want him for? Was he ever going to go home?

His mind went to Ally. He almost smiled at the thought of her. What would she think when she found out he was gone? It seemed like a lifetime ago since he last saw her. But didn't he see her today? Was it even the same day? He didn't know, he was knocked out for god only knew how long.

The two men threw him in a room and shut the door. Austin was immediately enveloped in darkness. He sat on the floor, his weight on his knees. They didn't tie him back up. He looked around, wondering if there was a window he could escape through. There was only one window and it was the size of a bowling ball.

He turned his head away from the window and wiped the blood from his mouth. His face suddenly felt hot yet wet at the same time. He reached up and touched his right cheek, not caring that there was probably blood on his hand. Tears coated his cheeks. A sob suddenly racked his body, the shock wearing off leaving the effects to hit him head on. His lips twisted into a pained grimace. His breath came out in choked sobs. He wiped his face with his sleeve.

He cried in the pitch black, alone and scared of whatever might happen to him. He felt like he was five again, scared that the monster under his bed was going to get him. Now, the monster was real; in the form of an over-sized man. But this time, his parents weren't here to scare the monster away. He was alone and was god knows where.

* * *

Oh man, a lot went down in this chapter. So, why does the government want Austin? What do you think? What's Ally going to think when she finds out? Find out in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 3: World of Denial

Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally.

* * *

Radio Signal

Chapter 3: World of Denial

Mike and Mimi Moon stumbled into the front door, exhausted from the long day. Business had been booming at the mattress store the past few days and they were thankful for the business, but it was really starting wear them down. With a tired sigh, Mimi shut the front door and kicked off her shoes. It was ten at night and it was pitch black outside. The moon hidden by a thick sea of clouds.

"I'm starving." Mimi said.

"Want me to go upstairs and ask Austin if he's up for a late night dinner?" Mike asked, kicking off his own shoes.

Mimi nodded. "Yeah."

As Mike walked up the stairs, Mimi slumped onto the living room couch. She let out a relieved sigh as the plush piece of furniture engulfed her. As she stretched her legs out, a clang of glass resounded in the room. In confusion, Mimi looked down at the floor, where the sound had come from. "What in the world?" Her favorite lamp was in pieces, littered across the living room floor. She rolled off the couch and picked up a piece, inspecting it.

Mike came down the stairs. Mimi looked up at him, confusion still etching her features. "He isn't up there." Mike said, confused. "That doesn't make any sense, his car's here and he's not downstairs."

"Is he in the bathroom?" Mimi asked.

"No," Mike stared down at his in confusion. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Something happened to my lamp." Mimi said. She gestured to the mess of glass. "It's all over the floor, in pieces."

"How'd that happen?" He asked.

Mimi shrugged. "I don't know."

"Here; how about I get my phone from the kitchen and I'll call Austin to ask where he- _Crunch!_" Mike had stepped on something. His gaze went to the floor. Mike's eyes went wide.

"What is it?" Mimi asked.

Mike's mouth hung open as he bent over to pick up the broken object from the floor. "Austin's phone." The screen was shattered, the plastic was heavily cracked. He could tell that most of the damage wasn't caused by him stepping on it.

Mimi got up from the floor and ran over to her husband, taking the broken phone from him.

"The back door isn't shut." Mike said. "look." He pointed to the back door.

Mimi followed his gaze, sure enough, it was cracked open. Panic twisted at her insides, he motherly instinct screaming at her that something was terribly wrong. "Austin?" She whispered out. "Austin!" Her voice rose. "AUSTIN, WHERE ARE YOU?" She began to frantically search the house, hoping to find her son.

"Mimi, don't panic. Maybe he's with Dez." Mike said reassuringly.

"Then why is his phone broken? What happened here?" She asked desperately, tears threatening to fall.

"I don't know, Honey. Let's just call his friends first. He probably just accidentally broke his phone when he came here to get something."

"His car's here, Mike."

"Maybe Dez picked him up. Look, let's call them. I'm sure we're just overreacting."

Mimi gave a hesitant nod. "Okay."

"Don't worry, honey. I bet he's fine." Mike said as he dialed Dez's cell number. They waited patiently in silence as the phone rang. It didn't take long for the redhead to pick up.

"Hello?" His voice sounded from the phone's speaker.

"Dez, this is Austin's father."

"Oh, hey Mr. Moon. What's up?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Well, we were wondering if Austin was with you."

"No, he's not. In fact, he left Sonic Boom and went home earlier today to take a nap. Is he not there?"

Mike tried to keep down the panic that was starting to form in him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and answered the redhead. "N-no, he isn't here. We thought maybe you or Trish or Ally came and picked him up because his car is here."

"I know I didn't; and I'm pretty sure the girls didn't either. They're having a girl's night at Trish's. Have you tried calling him." Concern was starting to coat Dez's voice.

Mike gripped his phone, his knuckles turning white. "He- we found his phone on the floor, broken, when we got home. One of our lamps is on the floor in pieces and the back door was left open. Dez, please tell me you know where he is?" Mike begged. Fear etched in his every word.

The line was silent for a while, Mike and Mimi's hearts beat in apprehension. Dez suddenly let out a shaky sigh. "L-let me get a hold of the Trish and Ally, surely they've heard out of him. I call right back when I'm done talking to them."

"Okay. _Right_ after." Mike said.

"Right after. So..um; bye."

"Bye." The line went dead, the conversation leaving the couple filled with dread. Mike looked at his wife, his eyes filled with dread. Mimi was barely holding in sobs, scared out of her mind. They sat in the living room and waited for Dez to call back.

~0~

Ally and Trish laughed together at their favorite movie. They were curled up on Trish's plush bed with all the lights off; the only light coming the television. Dez had called twice now. They had ignored it, seeing that they were in the middle of a movie but then Ally's phone started to ring again, showing the Dez was calling once more.

"What the heck does he want?" Trish asked in agitation, annoyed that her movie night was being interrupted.

"Pause the movie." Ally said, a bit agitated herself. Trish groaned but paused it anyway. Ally answered her phone. "What is it, Dez?"

"It's about time you picked up." Dez said, his voice quieter than usual.

"We're in the middle of a movie, Dez. What's so important that you had to call? You knew that we were having girl's night, tonight." Ally defended herself.

"Have you seen Austin?" Dez asked in desperation.

Ally raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked over at Trish, who could hear the other side of the conversation. "No," Ally said warily. "I haven't, why?"

The line was silent for a moment, though she could have sworn she heard a whispered "dammit" from the other end.

"Dez?" Ally asked, thinking maybe the line went dead.

"What the heck does the bozo want?" Trish asked, still annoyed.

"Something happened at Austin's house and now his parents can't find him." Dez said.

Ally's eyes widened. "What do you mean something happened?" She asked.

"Apparently when Austin's parents got home, one of their lamps one the floor, shattered and they found his phone on the floor. It was broken too. The back door wasn't shut, either." Dez explained.

Ally could hear the panic in his voice, causing her to start panicking. "What-what are you saying, Dez? Did something happen to him?"

"Ally?" Trish asked, concerned. "What's going on?"

Ally quickly put her phone on speaker so Trish could hear.

"Look, I really don't know. It could be nothing, but it might be. Please tell me you've seen him?" Dez asked, he sounded like he was holding back tears.

"Seen who?" Trish asked.

"Trish, something happened to Austin." Ally said. "I'm sorry, Dez, but neither of us has seen him."

Dez sighed in defeat. "Okay, just...get to Austin's house. I'm going to call Austin's parent's back and tell them you guys don't know, either. I'll meet you guys there." Dez said.

Ally nodded, even though he couldn't see her doing it. "Okay, we'll see you soon." The line went dead.

Austin's parents were devastated when they found out that Ally and Trish hadn't seen him, either. When they all met up, they did a quick search of the house, finding nothing. Mike looked out the back door, hoping to find something. He found a set of tire tracks in the ally behind their house, sparking the slightest bit of hope, yet causing dread in all of them.

They searched for hours, in the dark. They walked through the neighborhood, drove to all of Austin's favorite places to hang out, and even double backed to each other's houses, hoping that maybe he would show up there. They called anyone else who might have known where he was, but they either didn't know or they didn't pick up the phone, seeing how it was so late. They never found him. They found absolutely no evidence of as to where he might be. Eventually, the realization began to hit them. Austin was missing and there was an incredibly strong chance that someone had taken him.

It was nearly morning by time they gave up searching for him, all of them exhausted but none of them wanting to sleep. They sat in the Moon family living room, fully aware that they could very well be in the same room where Austin had been taken. Their tired forms were slumped in the couches, hearts heavy.

Finally, Mike pulled out his phone. With a deep sigh, he dialed a number and listened to it ring. The rest of the group watched in sorrow, knowing fully well what this all meant. Tears were pouring from most of their eyes, Ally was sobbing as well was Mimi. Mike swallowed a lump in his throat when the line finally picked up.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"Hi, my name is Mike Moon and I'm calling to report a missing person."

* * *

"Come on!" The Colonel spat angrily as he dragged Austin by the arm, pulling him through the ship. His wrists were tied behind his back, making it hard to walk with the man's hand on his arm. Austin knew it was morning. He had been trapped in that black room all night. It was the longest night of his life and right now, he wished that time by himself wouldn't have ended. Sometime at the crack of dawn, the Colonel came in and tied his hands behind his back and dragged him out of the room.

Austin was exhausted from the sleepless night. He had little energy to fight the man. His face and front of his shirt was still caked with dried blood. It seemed like no one was going to make an effort to clean it up.

He stumbled into a wall, slamming his shoulder into it, when the Colonel suddenly made a sharp turn. He yelped in pain, a noise which went unheard. The Colonel threw him in a small room, filled with machines that he didn't recognize. There was a desk with a computer chair on the left wall. The desk was full of these machines. Wires and dials covered them. He could see a compass on the far right side of all the machinery as well as a set of headphones. Austin stared at the equipment in confusion. Why did the Colonel take him here?

"This is the ship's radio station. It's not as modern as I would like it, but it get's the job done. We were able to update it a little so it's easier to intercept radio transmissions. This is where you'll be working kid." The Colonel said.

Austin knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "What? Why are you putting me in here?" He asked.

The Colonel untied his wrists and shoved him into the desk. Austin nearly fell but was able to catch himself by grabbing onto the desk. "We've been told that you've got a gift."

"Gift?" Austin asked in confusion as he lifted himself back up.

The Colonel laughed at him. "You don't have a clue, do you? You're a Polyglot."

Austin stared at the man, thinking that he was insane. "A what?" He had to be making that up.

"Some one who can learn languages easily. Well, technically it's someone who knows several languages, but those kinds of people pick up on languages, _real_ fast. It won't be long until you're a true blue Polyglot."

Austin shook his head at the man. "I don't know any other languages. This is all some crazy misunderstanding. I am not what you think I am. I'm a singer and- and a musician, not a language expert." Austin said.

"What about the time you were giving that European supermodel English lessons?"

The blonde gaped at him. "How'd you know about that?"

"It was all over the news, that case about you being accused of stealing a song. How about the time you helped out that French woman at that store you're always at? What's it called, Sonic Boom? Wasn't that yesterday? Or when you learned Pig Latin after you met that guy John Paul Paul John?"

"How do you know all about this? And Dez learned Pig Latin with me."

"No, you told him what it meant. The government has been watching you, Austin. They suspected that you might be a Polyglot and now believe that they got enough evidence to be proven right."

"Why? Even if I was, why would they care?" Austin's mind was reeling. This was all just crazy. None of it was making sense to him.

"They need one to intercept and translate radio transmissions." The Colonel said nonchalantly, acting like none of this was a big deal and that the kid he was talking to hadn't been kidnapped.

"Radio transmissions? For what? And why me?" Austin demanded.

"Out of all the people they were looking at, you had the most potential. The U.S. needs to know what the rest of the world is up to, so you're going to listen in on transmissions between other countries."

"You want me to spy for you? Isn't that illegal? No, I'm not helping you do it." Austin insisted. He was rewarded with a hard slap to his face. The desk dug into the small of his back.

"Listen to me you little brat. You will do what I say and you will do it without question. You argue with me, you will be punished. Do I make myself clear?" The Colonel hissed.

"Crystal." Austin said with a sunken heart. "But I can't do what you think I can. I can't-" The Colonel slapped him again, harder this time.

"What did I just say?" The older man spat. He grabbed the front of Austin's shirt and forced him into the chair. The Colonel grabbed the headphones and forced them into Austin's hands. "You will stay in this spot with those headphones on until you learn to keep your mouth shut, do you understand me?" He spat in Austin's face.

"Yes!" Austin said. "I understand! But, please. If you just listen to me. I'm not a-" The Colonel punched him square in the jaw. Pained exploded in Austin's sensitive bone. He screamed in agony.

The Colonel shoved the headphones onto Austin's head, pulling at his hair. "Shut up and do as you're told!" He screamed at the blonde. He pulled out a roll of duck tape and began binding Austin's writs the arms of the chair. "You will not move from this chair until you learn to respect me. You're going to sit here and do what I tell you or so help me, I will end your miserable, pathetic little life; do you hear me?" The man spat in Austin's face.

Austin stared up at the man, bug eyed. Fresh blood dripped from his scabbed-over lip, coating his already stained shirt even more. His heart was pounding in his chest at a mile a minute. His mind was a mess of jumbled thoughts. Fear rocked his very core, threatening to overwhelm him. This man had completely lost his mind. He was a lunatic; a psycho. He could see the wild rage dance in the man's green eyes, his blonde hair coated with sweat. Austin also had a thin sheen of sweat on his form, but it was much more prominent on the Colonel.

The Colonel shook the chair Austin was bound to. "DO YOU HEAR ME!?" He raged.

"YES!" Austin screamed back, driven purely by complete terror. "Yes, I understand."

A satisfied grin pulled at the man's lips, the rage never leaving his eyes. "Good." He breathed in almost a gleeful manner. He stood up, his hands no longer resting on the chair. "Now," he said, flipping a switch Austin hadn't noticed. His ear were instantly bombarded by various voices, all speaking a jumbled mess of languages. Austin flinched at the sound of it. "You sit here and listen in on what our friends in China have got to say, got it? I'll be checking in on you later this afternoon. You better be ready to talk then, or else you and I will have a serious problem." The Colonel hissed.

Austin nodded, his eyes still wide with fear.

The Colonel gave him a pat on the cheek. "Good boy." He said, gleefully. He turned around and opened the door. With one last glance at the blonde, he turned out the lights and shut the door.

Just enough light came in from a good sized window on the far wall. Austin looked through it, seeing miles of ocean. Wait, when did they leave the docks? he didn't remember ever noticing the ship move. The thoughts of escape hardly crossed his mind. With one glance, he could tell that the window was made of rather thick glass and it obviously didn't open. Where would he go anyway? He couldn't escape. Everywhere around the ship was nothing but open ocean. Something told him that they were miles from any land and he would more than likely drown if he tried to escape. Maybe if he snagged a lifeboat, he could escape on that. He scoffed at the thought. He would be found long before he got close enough to one to escape. Let alone get in the sea.

A jabbing pain spiked through his skull, forcing him to cringe. The voices hurt his head. He tried to blink back the pain but it only worked for a moment. His thoughts went back to what the Colonel had called him. A Polyglot. That didn't make any sense to him. Wouldn't he have known if he were one? Okay, yes, he had actually passed his Freshman French class with an A _and_ he picked up on the Spanish pretty well at Trish's Quinceanera, but that didn't mean he was some god in learning languages. The very thought of that idea was a complete joke to him.

His captors were insane, nut jobs of the finest. They probably weren't even Mercenaries like they said they were, let alone being hired by the Department of Defense to kidnap him. But that thought didn't help Austin with his situation. Lunatics or not, he was still at their mercy. That thought scared him. These men unpredictable and he had no clue how to handle the situation he was thrown into.

Austin looked out the window again, the voices being the only noise he could hear. Despair pulled at his heart. He was royally screwed. He just hoped that his parents realized he was gone soon. Maybe, just maybe, they could track down and save him.

* * *

Tears rolled down Ally's cheeks like a waterfall. She, along with her friends and Austin's parents, were sitting in police station, while the police ran through the missing persons paperwork. That thought made her heart clench. She was having an incredibly hard time grasping the situation. Austin was missing. Well, not officially yet. They were still running through all the evidence and calling any contact that might know where he was before they decide to officially declare him missing.

Something in the pit of Ally's stomach told her that he wasn't going to suddenly show up anytime soon. From what she and the rest of them learned, Austin had been taken, Kidnapped. She covered her mouth with a hand as choked sob threatened to rip from her throat. No, that wasn't right. There was no way that Austin could have been kidnapped. This was all so unreal. She has to be dreaming. Austin wasn't gone. She wasn't sitting at a police station. She was asleep in her warm bed underneath her plush comforter and Austin was home, curled up in his bed, fast asleep.

If only. She already pinched herself a dozen times, just to check and make sure this wasn't a dream. Her left arm was covered in red marks. It didn't matter how many times she pinched; she won't wake up.

Her head shot up when an officer walked up to them. Austin's parents immediately jumped to their feet and bombarded the man with questions, tears streaking from their eyes as they did so.

"Do you know where he is?" Mimi asked

"What happened?" Mike said.

"Did you find him?"

The officer's face was grim. The news was not good. "Sir, mam. I think if it's best that you sit down for this." He said.

With horror struck eyes, they sat. Ally stared up at the officer, her heart pounding. She felt like she already knew what he was going to say and the frightened her to no end. She didn't want to be right.

"From what we were able to gather, it seems like someone had broken into your home before Austin got there. They didn't steal anything, which tells us that they were there specifically to kidnap Austin." Ally, along with everyone else, cringed. "The broken lamp and the phone had no useful fingerprints on them. We only found Austin's on his phone and Mrs. Moon's prints form the lamp when she picked up a piece off the floor. The door had absolutely no prints on it, whatsoever. I'm sorry but this is definitely a kidnapping case." Ally couldn't hold back the sobs anymore. She burst into tears as the cries racked her body. Trish held her as she cried too. Ally could hear Mimi sobbing. Mike and Dez let silent tears fall as they hung their heads against their chests.

The officer continued. "We'll start a search party as soon as possible. We'll get it out that he's missing. It hasn't even been 24 hours since his kidnapping. The first 48 hours are the most crucial in this kind of situation. There's still a very high chance that we'll find him. There's also a very strong chance that he was taken for a ransom, which means we might hear from his kidnappers at any given moment. Don't give up yet. There's still a chance that we'll find him." The officer said.

Ally really hoped he was right. Otherwise, she wouldn't know what to do with herself if she never saw Austin again.

"This isn't real." She heard Mimi whisper. "This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real..." She kept repeating.

* * *

It's here! Chapter 3. We've got some Ally in there. Please tell me what you thought.


	5. Chapter 4: Clarity

Disclaimer: I don't own Austin and Ally.

* * *

Radio Signal

Chapter 4: Clarity

Austin sat alone in the communication room, still tied to the chair. He was hunched over, his eyes were squeezed shut. He must have been trapped in that room for no more than three hours. The Colonel had yet to return. No one had entered the room since he left. Austin had long since stopped caring about the Colonel's presence. Something strange was happening. The pain his head had increased not long after he was left in the room, but it had started fading over time. Now the pain was completely gone, but the voices changed.

The fog of the painful mess of jumbled voices started to lift. It was like the voices had switched to something new. He was starting to catch bits and pieces of what they were saying. There were multiple voices that were speaking. Maybe the Colonel was pulling one on him. He messed with the recording so it would eventually switch over to English, hence why Austin was beginning to understand it.

As more time passed, the more he understood. He was finally able to catch the gist of what they were talking about. They were all men, maybe mid forties, speaking about something that involved Uganda. Something told him that the people he was hearing were native to said country. They seemed to be talking about the country's politics. Something told him that people held a rather high status in their country.

He could understand all of it now. Every word, every phrase came in what he thought was perfect English. He couldn't even hear an accent in their voices. It was like they grew up in Florida just like he had. He understood all of it, even the slang. They were planning to invade a neighboring country called Rwanda and take it over. They wanted to expand their country and gain more power.

At least, that's what he thought they were talking about. For some reason they kept talking in circles, arguing over actually attacking. A couple of the men wanted to attack a country called Tanzania but the other men insisted they didn't have an army strong enough to take it over. Austin was confused beyond belief. He had no clue where the countries were, he was always bad with anything that involved geography. Now he wished he paid more attention in class.

Austin jumped when the headphones were suddenly ripped off of him. The Colonel was back and he was standing over Austin with an unhappy look on his face. He looked up the large man, shocked. He didn't even notice him come in. "Well?" The Colonel snapped impatiently.

Austin scrunched his face in confusion. "What?"

"What did the transmission say?" The Colonel spat angrily.

"Something about some country called Uganda fighting over whether or not to invade some other countries called Rwanda or Tanzania." Austin said frantically, not wanting to anger the man further. He was confused. Why did all of this matter to the Colonel? What were the mercenaries even going to do with information like this?

"What?" The Colonel said in shock.

"They were talking about an invasion." Austin repeated in a shortened version.

"Is there anything else? Did you hear anything more?" The Colonel demanded.

"That's all I know!"

Austin stared up at the older man in confusion. The Colonel's eyes filled with an emotion that Austin had never seen from him before. It seemed like a mix between shock and disbelief. Maybe even a little panic. Suddenly, the man grabbed at Austin's bloodstained shirt. The blonde gasped in surprise and terror.

"You better not be lying to me, Pretty Boy." The Colonel hissed.

"I'm not!" Austin shook his head frantically.

"If you are, I swear I'll skin you alive and throw you to the sharks. There won't be a scrap left of you." The man growled.

"I swear, I'm not lying! That's really all I know!" Austin yelled back in fear.

The Colonel growled something under his breath and threw Austin back in his chair. "Warren!" The man yelled.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Austin asked in fright. The Colonel ignored him, not even offering a sideways glance at the boy.

A man ran to the doorway. He saluted the Colonel; his body was stiff, standing straight like a true military man. "Yes, sir!" He barked.

"Untie this brat and start training him on the radio receiver. Teach him everything there is to know about every machine in this room and report to me when you've finished his training, but first I want you to get Hanson's ass to my office. Is that understood?" The Colonel commanded.

"Yes, sir!" The man disappeared for a few minutes, tracking down the man called Hanson, Austin assumed. He came back shortly after, stiff as ever. "Hanson is on his way to your office, sir!" He said.

"Good. Don't let this boy leave this room. Chain him to the wall if you have to, just don't let him leave." The Colonel said as he got up and left the room.

"Hey, wait minute!" Austin yelled after the Colonel. "What are you going to do? Why did you make me listen to that? Hey, what's going on?"

Warren punched him square in the jaw. "Shut up." He hissed

Austin winced in pain. Blood trickled down his chin, his scabbed over lip having busted open.

"Please," He pleaded, attempting to ignore the pain. "Just tell me why you're doing this. What's he going to do?"

Warren grabbed him by the jaw, squeezing at his sore bone. "That's none of your concern. You just translate what you hear and report it to us, nothing else." He growled.

"Let me go home, please? I won't tell anybody about this, I swear, just let me go home." Tears poured down his cheeks, mixing with the blood on his chin as their paths met. Austin fought to hold back sobs, exhaustion and terror tearing at his insides.

He yelled out in agony when Warren struck him again, harder this time. "Shut up!" He repeated, angrier than ever.

Austin couldn't stop the pained cries that escaped his blood-covered lips. He let his head loll onto his chest, exhausted by everything that was happening to him. His face was scrunched up in an agonized grimace, every move was torture to him. He tried to ignore the clanging sound of a chain as Warren pulled it from somewhere in the room. Austin refused to look up and watch the man chain his leg to something metal, somewhere in the room. He felt it wrap around his ankle. Warren pulled it tight, making sure that the beaten blonde had absolutely no chance of escape.

Warren laughed as he finished chaining the teen. "You're not so tough now, are you pretty boy?" He teased.

The comment, for some forsaken reason, sent him over the edge. White hot rage suddenly coursed through, furious and terrified of everything that was happening. Austin spat a bloody wad of saliva at the man, hitting him in the collarbone. "Go to hell." He croaked, angrily. His voice was hoarse and weak yet it still had a bite to it.

The older man wiped the saliva off in disgust, his face red with anger. "You filthy brat!" He lunged forward, throwing his fist at Austin's face. The blonde screamed in agony as Warren's fist broke the bridge of his nose, the bone and cartilage crunching under the man's tight hand. "Don't you ever do that again, You here me! If you ever do, I swear to god, I'll fucking kill you!" Warren roared, throwing punch after punch into Austin's already thrashed frame.

Warren didn't stop until his knuckles were raw, the flesh torn down to the bone. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut and leaving Austin battered and bloodied and still tied to the chair, the Colonel's previous orders falling on deaf ears. Austin's lip was practically ripped open now, one of his eyes was swollen shut and his entire upper torso was now colored black and blue. It hurt to breathe, his bruised ribs expanding every time he took in a raspy breath. Tears drenched his cheeks, but he didn't sob. He just let them fall.

He could hear people running about outside the room, screaming and shouting at each other. Austin didn't really care why they were so riled up, he didn't really care about anything right now. All he could think about was the pain that coursed through every fiber of his being. Every time his heart made a beat, his whole body pulsed with it.

"Set course for due south east!" He heard someone scream outside. It was muffled by the door and the ringing in his ears. "I hope you packed everything you need boys, cause we're not stopping until we reach The Gambia!"

There was more yelling, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. The ringing intensified and he felt himself getting heavy. Black dots danced around his vision, making it harder for him to see. He sucked in short, shallow breaths, wincing every time. He felt dizzy; he couldn't focus on anything. The yells were just muffled background noise now, he could barely hear it. Pure blackness covered the edges of his vision. He was blacking out and he knew it. He didn't try to fight it, he let himself go limp. The last thing he heard, was the sound of boots kicking the door open.

* * *

Police tape blocked off the Moon home from prying eyes, police cars were parked in the driveway. All of the neighbors watched from the safety of their own home with sullen looks. Cars drove by, slowing when they saw the police tape, wanting to know what was going on. The cops shooed them off, telling they had no business in the premises. They scoured the home for evidence, taking samples of the lamp, bagging Austin's phone, and getting molds of the tire tracks found in the ally. They looked for fingerprints, finding only Austin's and Mimi's when she touched the lamp shard. The only fingerprints they found on Austin's phone, aside from his, were Mike's.

Mike and Mimi Moon watched in disdain as the police searched their house. They were broken, tired and scared out of their minds. So far, the police had not received a ransom, They hadn't received anything from the kidnapper. Only silence. Ally, Trish, and Dez were all sent home to get some rest. They had all been crying the entire day. Mike and Mimi would have laid down as well, but their home was full of police and their bodies were too strung up with worry.

The lead investigator walked up to them, a sullen look plastered on his face. "Did you find anything?" Mimi pleaded.

The officer shook his head. "No, not yet. We're sending the tire tracks to forensics but the broken phone and the lamp shards are practically useless. With both of you having touched them, they won't do us any good. It would be considered a miracle if we got a liable print." He said.

"We're so sorry. If we had known sooner, we would never have-" Mimi sobbed.

The officer held his hand up, cutting her off. "It's alright miss, you didn't any better. How could you possibly have known this was going to happen?"

"I should have known. I should have done something to prevent it. I shouldn't have messed with the lamp. Mike should have left the phone on the floor. We could have done so much." Mimi's lip trembled as tears poured down her cheeks.

"This isn't your fault. There wasn't a complete chance that the kidnappers prints would have been on the objects, anyway. Don't worry, we'll find him. We've solved cases on less." He reassured her.

She continued sobbing, burying her head into Mike's chest. "My baby boy," She wailed, the officer's reassurance having no effect on the distraught mother. "He's gone, he's gone." Mike stroked his wife's hair, his silent tears falling onto her head.

The cop watched with a clenched heart. He hated watching distraught parents cry over their lost children, never knowing if they would ever see them again. He could never give them a 100 percent reassurance that they were going to find their child and that's what made watching them cry so painful. He bit his lip and gave them a quirk nod. He shuffled away, hating this particular investigation already.

A news reporter ran up the officer, coming out of nowhere. He didn't even notice a news crew show up. She shoved a mic in his face, seemingly oblivious to the distraught expression on his face. Questions upon questions poured out the woman's mouth, her eyes wild, hungry for a story. The officer waved her off, angrily spitting out that she was hindering a private investigation.

He shooed the news crew away as best as he could, they wouldn't leave but they got off the property. The Moon's didn't need this right now. They're just coming to accept what has happened to their son, they don't a bunch of reporters shoving microphones their faces. The officer cringed at the thought. Austin Moon was a star, his was known world wide now. There was no way he was going to be able to shield the grieving parents from the greedy reporters. He sighed as his heart clenched, this never should have happened to that boy.

~0~

News of Austin's kidnapping spread like wildfire. It was all anyone was talking about now. It was on the local news, national news, it had even gone viral, getting posted on practically every website known to man. They were calling it the "Tragedy of The Century". Everyone already seemed to have a theory on why he was kidnapped and by whom.

It didn't take long for Ally to get overwhelmed by all of it. She shut off her T.V. and powered down her phone and her laptop, unable to handle all the media about her best friend's disappearance. She hated how everyone kept calling it a tragedy, like he was already dead. Why did they have to use that word? Why couldn't they use something else? Even as they skepticized that it was for a ransom, they continued to speak about him in past tense, like he was already gone. She couldn't stand it.

The only good part was when there were websites and news anchors that started demanding answers, wanting Austin to be found. They pushed for a search party, insisting that everyone step up and do their part. As Austin's kidnapping became international, more people became fired up. It was like the whole world was begging for him to be found. They still treated it as tragedy. In a terrible way, Ally thought, it still was. She just hated the way they talked about him.

Austin was kidnapped just over a day ago and already the whole world knew. Ally forced herself to keep her hopes up, repeating to herself that Austin was going to be found. He had to come back. She already missed him so much to the point that it was painful. Ally wanted so badly to hug him again, hear his voice in her ear as he sang next to her on the piano bench. She wanted to see his smile again, live and in the flesh and not in a picture of him that was being broadcasted everywhere.

It was still early, Austin hadn't been missing for that long. They had yet to receive a ransom but was still early. Everyone was looking for him. The very idea that he _wouldn't_ be found was absolutely ridiculous, she told herself. A famous pop star just doesn't disappear, not without people demanding answers. No, she shook her head, removing all doubt that dwelled within her mind. Austin was going to be found and she was going to see him again. The police would bring him home, the media would get their taste of the story, and then everything would go back to normal. It would be like it never even happened.

Ally took in a deep breath, wiping away her partially dried tears. She stood up from her bed with a new found confidence. She couldn't help Austin by sitting in her room and crying, she needed to do what they were saying to do on the media. She needed to go out into the world with her chin held high and a confidence about her, showing the world that she wasn't going to give up on her best friend.

Austin was going to be found. She, her friends, Austin's parents, and the rest of the world needed to get that through their thick skulls. If they couldn't be strong, than she would. She had to be. She had to be strong for Austin. That much was clear to her.

* * *

Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while. This chapter's a bit shorter than the others but that's how things kinda played, so here you are and enjoy.


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